Back this winter, long before most publications, blogs and newspapers
were running the story and long before Greg Bird underwent season-ending
shoulder surgery, we here on the Greedy Pinstripes beat the drum for signing
Juan Uribe to a small one-year deal or a minor league deal for depth. Uribe is
seemingly the perfect fit for this team, he’s a veteran right-handed bat who
has not only been there before but can also play a multitude of positions
including third base, first base and the outfield. Now that Bird is down and
the popular publications and media outlets are jumping on the Uribe wagon I
figured I would bring up the idea as well… again.
Reportedly the Cleveland Indians have been in talks with
Uribe and are the only team to publicly announce directly or indirectly that
they are interested in the 15-year veteran’s services. Uribe is a leader and
has been called a great clubhouse presence everywhere he’s gone in his career
and would presumably fit in well in a Yankees clubhouse that seems loose and
that likes to have fun while winning games. See Alex Rodriguez snatching
helmets off of home run hitters, Slade Heathcott’s fist pumps and Didi
Gregorius’s million dollar smile for recent examples of this clubhouse
mentality in the Bronx.
Uribe has played 556 career games at third base, 215 games
at second base, four games at first base and 917 games at the shortstop
position, all positions the Yankees could use a backup or two at, and along the
way has found the knack for hitting in clutch situations, something that never
hurts for a potential playoff team. Uribe hit .253 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI
in 119 games last season as a part-time player and it will simply come down to,
in my opinion, whether the Indians offer him a starting job or whether he would
rather “chase a ring.”
Uribe has played for six teams in his career (the Rockies,
White Sox, Giants, Dodgers, Braves and Mets) after being signed as an
international free agent back in 1997 and it looks like he’s destined for his 7th
MLB team this upcoming season. Will that be in New York, Cleveland or with some
other mystery team we don’t know about yet? I honestly have no idea, stay
tuned. I will leave you with this though, when you have such an obvious need
and upgrade available for whatever reason Cashman doesn’t usually sign these
players so I’m not getting my hopes up.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)